


The Start of Something New (Demonstuck)

by Free_Cookies



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Attempted Murder, Divorce, F/M, I'll add more tags as it goes on, Murder, Patricide, Regicide, Weddings, so much, so much exposition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-06-11 06:45:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15309720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Free_Cookies/pseuds/Free_Cookies
Summary: Here is the tale of characters we already know and love, and yet they are complete strangers to us. Here is the tale of love despite all odds, and though we knew it was going to happen, it still comes as a shock. Here is the tale of revolution and tyranny, and a cruel leader we already hate. Here is the tale that will end worlds and create new ones.Here is the tale of four kids, who would have played a game, and who are now changed. They will never play this silly game. They'll do something far more dangerous, something that many of them had done before. They will be joined by more, adding up to 32, and will go on a journey that will change all of them - for better or worse.





	1. A Tale of Four Children

      Amongst every timeline, there are similar characters. These are the bases that many other worlds will use to create a life of their own. With all of them, however, there may not be as many that survive as get created. Some alternate universes (AUs, for short) never get completed. They never breathe. Some, though, however many variations of it, thrive and grow. These are the basic facts of worlds and timelines.

      And yet, throughout these AUs, there seems to be a popular recurring theme of a particular one.

      A ravenette with deep blue eyes, with a cousin who had an icy shade of the same. Two platinum blondes with eyes the colour of a sunset, one the sun and the other the sky around it. Another set of blondes who had stunning eyes of bright purple and a bold pink. The last set, a crow feathered black with brilliant green eyes, one dark and one light.

      Each of these children plays an important role in these stories, but oftentimes the roles are switched around. And of course, there are other characters, too, but these are usually not as important to this AU in particular. No, the universes with this theme usually focus on a few of the side characters, if any.

      A black haired shorty with grey eyes, a taller redhead, though a darker shade, with vibrant jade eyes, a blind chick with faded red eyes and black hair, and a spider, with cobalt eyes and light blonde hair with a streak of blue.

      Normally, these universes only focus on one or two these two side characters, the others are only mentioned if that. Not only this, but they are able to be disposed of at any moment, much to the dismay of the first two.

      Wherever I was going with this, I don't know. To give you a small portion of my knowledge of timelines? Probably. But I digress. The story you are about to hear is unlike any other, and yet it is exactly the same as all the rest.

      Here is the tale of characters we already know and love, and yet they are complete strangers to us. Here is the tale of love despite all odds, and though we knew it was going to happen, it still comes as a shock. Here is the tale of revolution and tyranny, and a cruel leader we already hate. Here is the tale that will end worlds and create new ones.

      Here is the tale of four kids, who would have played a game, and who are now changed. They will never play this silly game. They'll do something far more dangerous, something that many of them had done before. They will be joined by more, adding up to 32, and will go on a journey that will change all of them - for better or worse.

Word count: 477  
(Don't worry, it'll increase!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no prologue option so i had to make it its own chapter


	2. The Regrets of a 13-Year-Old

      Karkat Vantas hated weddings.

      Oh, sure they were fun to watch and pretty to look at, but he hated being in them.

      Even more so when his dad was the one that was getting married.

      Yes, on this day Simon Vantas was getting married to Diane Leijon.

      Goodie.

      Karkat had no idea why his father was interested in a weird lady, why his father had to pick a woman who had two daughters, why they would suddenly have two more cats in the house in additon to their three. Karkat just wondered this as his soon-to-be stepmother walked down the aisle. He snuck a glance and- okay. She did look stunning, he would have to give his dad that.

      Nepeta, the younger of his two new soon-stepsisters, walked in front of her mother carrying a basket of  flower petals she tossed on the ground. When she was done she scrambled over the stand next to Karkat, who was the ringbearer. She glanced over at him with a huge grin, clutching her basket with tears pooling in her eyes.

      Kankri and Meulin were holding Diane's long train to keep it from dirtying in the dew that had settled there a bit ago. Meulin let a tear flow freely down her face, while Kankri looked as he almost always did, neat hair and a perfect stance. He was wearing a Prince's outfit, too good for him to wear, with what he was doing.

      Karkat held his breath, looking around the candlelit field. The light shimmered off of the damp grass giving the whole place and ethereal look it sure didn't have in the reherasal. The lantern chains swung lightly overhead, as if to apologize for the ever-so-slightly growing breeze. Kankri and Meulin scampered over to their spots across the pavilion, signaling to their younger siblings that they had to start actually paying attention now. The two younger looked at each other with slight exasperation. Of course she knew the struggle of an older sibling as well as he did, what, with her deaf sister's over-dramatic shipping. Nepeta was into shipping charts, too, but sometimes enough was enough.

      Karkat felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked at Nepeta, and she motioned with her head to the altar. Oh, right. The rings. He stepped forward and awkwardly handed the rings over. As the Priest said the final words, Diane pulled Simon into a kiss and held it there enough for applause to die down. As Diane pulled away, Simon looked like a fish gasping for air. Nepeta snorted, her posture relaxing as there was no need for too much formality anymore. The dance was the only more formal event he had to attend today. He would have to dance with Nepeta, as Kankri had to do with Meulin. Thank goodness that would only be for a bit though. 

      Nepeta was poking him.

      "What is it now?" He hissed. She laughed, as if he had told a funny joke.

      "We're leaving now, Karkitty. Mom and Simon are going to go to the gym in a few but Meu's gonna drive us there now, so go grab your brother."  
      It was weird to hear her call his dad Simon. Then again, it surely must be weird for her to hear him call her mom Diane. It worked both ways, Karkat figured. He called over to Kankri, who walked over, rambling about how rude it was for Karkat to call over across the pavillion to him as they went to Meulin's car. Karkat just rolled his eyes and slammed the car door shut. Once they got to the gym where the dance was being held, Karkat jumped out as quickly as he could without damaging his Stepsister's car.

      The gym was decorated in colours of olive and crimson, colours that would not go together under any usual circumstances, however, they worked in a perfect, albeit unusual, harmony here, along with the white that served as an outline. Karkat only had a moment to be breathtaken, however, as his siblings were making a ruckus as they came into the room. A few other people were there, setting up the finishing touches. Karkat waved to one of them, going over to the table where they were supposed to sit and wait for their parents and the guests.

      On the table there were bowls of something that looked like candy. Karkat shrugged to himself and put one in his mouth. Cherry. Or was it strawberry? Whatever. It certainly wasnt watermel- wait, hold it. There was something else that was there. Karkat tried to find out what it was but by then the sweet was gone.

      A noise at the back of the room made him turn his head before he could grab another one, though. It was his father, Diane at his side. They walked over to their kids, beaming.

      "Hey, congrats," Karkat said to the two of them. "Im happy for you guys." Nepeta nodded in agreement.

      "Without you four, we would neer have met! Can you imagine us never meeting?" Diane exclaimed. "That would be just absurd!"

      "IT WAS MEANT TO BE, MOM! JUST ACCEPT IT!" Meulin said playfully. Well... it was more of a shout than anything else. One of the workers shushed the loud cat girl, but she didnt hear. Diane did, though.

      [Meulin, lets resort to sign language for now, okay?] She signed. Meulin nodded, rapidly signing something back that Karkat had trouble understanding. Usually only Diane, Nepeta, and Kurloz, Meulin's mute boyfriend, could understand her when she signed as fast as that. He assumed he would get used to it eventually, but for now he would have to deal with being clueless.

      Karkat ignored his stepsister for the time being and reached for another candy, hoping to find out what the mysterious flavour was. Simon noticed this and winked at him.

      "Those should keep you tied over 'till we get home. We can't do anything much for sustination with these POs around," He said. Pure ones. Karkat was shocked that his dad used those words amongst his new family, who had no knowledge of their world. Speaking of, he looked around to see if they heard, save for Meulin. Nothing. However much he wanted to question his dad, though, he bit his tounge in order to protect the innocence of the people sitting down around them. He was confused though. What had his father meant by 'keep you tied over'? He pondered this for a few moments before eating the candy that he had grabbed.

      It was cherry confirmed, and now that he was looking for it, the metallic taste was more prominent. Blood. There was a hint of blood in the candy. How did they hide it so well? That wasn't an easy feat. And how could they be so sure that everyone else wouldn't taste it? Whatever, he would ask his dad later. The wedding party was starting.

      As people trickled in, Karkat got more and more impatient. He was hungry, therefore he could not wait for the people to finally arrive so they could eat. He mentally counted all the guests before turning to his parents.

      "Everyone's here, Dad. Can we eat? Pleeease?" He asked, making puppy eyes. Simon caved and nodded, and with that, Karkat's grandmother stood up and gave a toast.

      "As many of you know..." she waited for the noise to die down, before starting again. "As many of you know, I am a single mother. I have raised the handsome man you see before you and am currently raising two wonderful girls. Now, adopting and raising children is a tedious task, especially when he never. Shuts. Up. You may laugh, but I'm not kidding. He never was quiet, talking about the cutest things. Of course, it was annoying at times, but it was all part of raising a kid, I guess. When he met his lovley wife you see before you, I was estatic. I had never thought that he would move out of my basement, along with his two adorable children here.

      "I'm kidding, of course, but he was at my house more often than not, working on things he needed an outside perspective on. Although it gave Kanaya and Porrim a chance to bond with Karkat and Kankri, I wanted him to work with someone who wouldn't be doting on him 24/7. Working with me was terrible for his mental health, he needed someone to keep him in check and to not run free. Then, while running errands, he met this marvelous woman, who had been in the same position as he was. They exchanged contacts, and off they went. They arranged a date, and one led to another, and another, and then here we are now. I have never been prouder in my life of my son. I propose a toast. To my son and his wife, and to the life they will share together!"

      Karkat raised his sparkling water, not being old enough to drink yet, and took a sip. That was cherry, too. What was with this weird theme of cherry?

      The reception was over soon enough,and they got to go home, Diane having moved in directly after Simon proposed to her. Of course, that meant Karkat had to share a room with either Kankri or Nepeta. He wasnt looking forward to either, but he eventually settled on Nepeta. Because, as fun as sharing a room with his stuck-up brother sounded, Nep was easier to share a room with. Of course, she insisted on trival things such as who got which bunk (she got the bottom) and wether they were allowed to have a private drawer other than clothing or not (they were,) but she was much easier to manage than his neat freak sibling. Kankri, though, would not like sharing a room with Meulin. She was a kind of messy-neat, where she would be organized but it was haphazard. Kankri, though, was the bane of everyone in the house's existance so no combination was perfect.

      When they finally arrived home, they all settled in the living room, as per their parents' request. All of them figured it was going to be some talk in preperation for their new life as a family together, in addition to the one they had receied this morning, but no. This time, the mood was much more lighthearted than it had been earlier, and both arents were grinning like idiotThey were nerds, though, the both of them. Expressive and usually easy ro read, but now there wasnt a clue as to what they were so excited about. Kankri, surppprisingly, was the first to seak.

               "What is this all about? If you do not mind me asking, however I am very curious as to where this converesation will be heading. Of course, if you do mind me inquiring about this articular subject I will presume to pretend that our interactuion never happened, as that is only polite in this situation, and it would be inconsiderate of me to-"

      "SHUT UP KANKRI," Meulin interuppted. "I'M DEAF AND YOU'RE MAKING EVEN MY EARS BLEED.

      "How inconsiderate of me! Of course I'll be quiet from now on, I do apologize, Meulin," The girl in question rolled her eyes and turned to her parents, her silent question ringing in the air.

      Simon looked at his bride. "Can I tell them?" She nodded, taking his hand. Simon looked back at his children. So, I know that you all have had a very long day, but I ask you to make it slightly longer, please. I know you're all hungry- yes, all of you, but to get you fed we need to stay up later than we are now. I know you all are used to late nights, but you all seem exhausted. However, you have to stay up in order to get nutrition you need. Even you, Kankri."

      Diane took the reigns here. "What Simon means to say is that we want you to be careful tonight, what, with the wedding exhausting you and the increase of hunters recently. We need you to stick to the Buddy system tonight while hunting okay? Now, we know tht this may come as a shock but we kept this from you in case something ever happened."

      Karkat started to nod, but then he realized. His siblings were in the room with him and his stemother was speaking. Nepeta was the first to realize what their mom was saying and when she realized she made an almost comical gasp, if not for the situation they were in.

      "You mean to tell us that they're demons, too!?" She squealed. Diane nodded, an amused smile on her face.

      "Yes, now go change. You can't hunt in a dress, despite what you may think," Nepeta raced up the stairs and the rest were soon after. Kankri walked, however, as running is loud and loud noises would only displease neighbours, he had reasoned. Whatever, Kankri. This story has no time to focus on your rants. Exposition is much more imortant than your blabbering.

      They all changed into street clothing, Nepeta without her cat hat. Karkat was about to comment on this, but the cat ears atop his new sisters' heads and their tails were more distracting than the cat hats they usually wore. Their parents came down the stairs soon after, his stepmother being adorned in the same way as her daughters. He turned away from the stairs when he caught Meulins frown at him.

      [Why do you look like that?] Karkat signed. Meulin huffed and quickly signed back.

      [WHAT kind of demon are you supposed to be? It dosent make sense, usually demons have physical signs.] Karkat raised his eyebrows.

     [We have physical signs, we just dont show them until-] he was interrupted by the sound of the back door opening, they were about to go out. Kankri and Meulin paired up, as did the newlyweds, so that left Karkat and Nepeta. Of course. Of course.

      They trekked through the forest where they were to meet up with whoever was due to hunt that night. It was a clearing surrounded by trees, where moonlight would always hit just right. The place was magical. Until some hunter would come along and ruin it, but that was in the future. Only the Serkets could see the future, though, and they were out of town. It wasnt imossibe that it would happen tonight. Karkat shuddered and pushed the thoughts away from his head, focusing on moving toward the magical place. 

      Simon called out a warning they were close to the spot. Finally. Karkat thought he was going to hve to walk for a mile on his empty stomach. In the clearing there werent any, just them. Simon checked his watch and raised his voice a little.

      "Alright, we're going to start hunting. Rememmber: Buddy system!" Karkat rolled his eyes as his parents sauntered off and turned to his grinning sister.

      "Lets do this," Karkat murmered, following her lead through the forest. "What're we looking for tonight?"

      "A deer," Nepeta replied. "Nice and basic. I thought for our hunts together we should work up from scratch until we find a harmony between us."

      Karkat nodded, eyes glowing as he extended his hearing to search for the deer. The twitch of Nepeta's ears told him she was doing the same. They both heard nothing for several minutes, but a loud crack made them turn their heads around, bristling with weaponry. They heard a soft curse murmured and then saw a pair of bright eyes attatched to a figure in the dark behind them. The thing shot away quickly but he could swear he saw a violet blur streaking through the forest.

      Karkat turned back to Nepeta, who nodded and continued the hunt. But what Karkzt didn't know is that he would be seeing the eyes soon, very soon.

Word count: 2666  
Exposition, exposition, exposition!


	3. Sorcerers and Secrecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: referenced patricide, referenced alcoholism

      Rose knew something was wrong when she felt her power being drained. By Dave, no less. Dave never exploited her light unless something was terribly wrong. Speaking of, he burst into her room and leaned against the doorway, panting. He looked up at her -he had gone without his shades tonight- and the eyes that were normally a flaming red were now a brilliant purple. He gave her a curt nod.

      "Lalonde."

      Why, Dave," she purred cooly, sliding over to him. "Your eyes havent even gone back to normal you drained me so much. I'm afraid I've got a little of your patented Strider red in mine."

      "Cut the crap, Rose. I know you just want to pick my brain about this whole mess," Dave hissed. Rose shrugged.

      "While that may be true, I want to know why you used so much of my power. Surely some of your own would have sufficed?"

      "Whatever, I'm not doing this tonight. I cant deal with your psychoanalysis bull tonight," Dave growled. "I'm going to bed."

      Rose watched in mild intrest as he flashstepped up the stairs, so quickly that he drained the rest of the power he borrowed. She would absolutley have to question him about this later. In the meantime, that was Dirk arriving home, wasnt it?

      Dirk looked up the stairs. "Whats up with him? Its not usual for him to use your power."

      "You felt it too, huh? I wonder how bad Roxy felt, if it affected you. Normally you can stay out of it, cant you?"

      "Yeah, I wonder why I couldn't this time. Dave seemed really stressed. I havent felt energy from him like that since -you know- but I wonder why it would be triggering him now? It must have been something bad."

      "Or it could not have been, Dave may have been overreacting."

      Dirk gave Rose a sharp glare. "You know Dave. He doesn't do that anymore."

      Rose held her hands up in a silent surrender. "Then it must have been something bad. We dont know for sure, but it must have been enough for Dave to go into a panic and drain my power. There's only a few people we know who can do that, and none of them are alive anymore. This must have been something-"

      "YOOOOOOOO did you FEEL that! The Lil man got himself a massive magic hangover tomorrow! Oh man, I don't feel a bit sorry for him, now he can see how it feels!" Roxy yelled, popping into the kitchen with a shwoop and scaring Dirk.

      Rose rolled her eyes. "Roxy, please, please, use your Aspect more responsibily! Youre going to ruin your powers before you get them fully! Anyway, the marvelous Crockerberts are coming over. Make some tea?"

      "On it!" Roxy sung. "Anything for the prankster duo!"

      She sauntered off towards the kitchen, humming a tune. Dirk sighed and followed her, mostly out of habit, to make sure she made the tea right, and that she wouldn't put something to prank the masters. A year ago, Dirk would have followed Roxy to make sure she didnt put vodka in the tea, but she moved past that with flying colours and she succesfully burnt all the alcohol she owned in a massive explosion in a Demon nest. A good use of her regrets, of course, was to use them to further her reputation. However accurate that statement was, however, that was more than Rose could do at this point.

      She walked to the couch, ulling out one of her many books on Eldrich Horrors. She ran a finger over the silver lettering almost lovingly, and admired the dark orchid cover, white tendrils srawling u from he bottom. Opening the book, Rose relished in the scent of musty pages and rested her eyes on the words that would take her to another realm of reality completely. It had been hardly any time at all, it seemed, before there was a soft knock at the door.

      Roxy squealed and ran over, oening the door. Jane was there with a grin that could rival even Roxy's, and John wasnt that far behind. Rox let them in, hugging the both of them tightly.

      "Come on! I made tea!" She said, dragging them into the kitchen. "Wait 'till you hear what Daveys got in his near future~"

      Mr. Egbert followed through the door soon after and turned to Rose. "Where are your Aunt and Uncle? I was hoping to talk to them for a bit...?"

      Rose shook her head. "Hunting trip for Dave, book signing for Rose."

      "A shame, then. Oh, well. Have a nice day, Rose."

      The youngest StriLonde waved goodbye to the retreating Egbert, calmly marked her place, and followed her eccentric sister to the kitchen. As Roxy told them the news abut Dave she shot a look at Rose, as if making sure she was okay. The sister in question waved a hand, brushing it off. In reality, she was more drained than she would like to admit, and would probably not be able to walk up the stairs. Looked like she was sleeping on the couch tonight. It would all come back to her in the morning, though, as opposed to Dave, who would be having a magic hangover and-

_Gynhyxw dry udrn wqez, Ndgh._

      Rose hesitated, before following the instructions given to her from the Furthest Ring.

     Roxy fumbled with one of the teacups, one of the only ones they had left, and dropped it... right into Roses outstretched hand. A smile of relief broke out on Roxys face. She swooped down and grabbed the teacup from Rose and kissed her on the forehead. Rose felt a rush of power flow through her and thanked the Horrorterrors. She could sleep in her own bed after all, and Dave's hangover wouldn't be so bad.

_Xqyxw dry, Ndgh. Ehjy ylfh xh xdq'y oh gd tdnclklec yd udrn ondywhn. Ywlg lg drn aqgy xqnelec._

      Rose felt her smile falter at these words. She would have to warn Dave of that in the morning. In the meantime, she would enjoy the tea her lovely sister made in celebration of their Crockerbert friends coming to stay a while. Speaking of, what kind of tea was it? Was it chamomille? Or perhaps orange? She took a sip. Lavender, one of her favorites.

      Oh, Roxy.

      She was too kind.

      Rose swallowed her gulp of -was that honey?- tea and drummed her fingers on the table. "So, John," she started. John looked up at his name. "Any good pranks recently?"

      John's face lit up. He launched into a story that included a rubber hammer, an apple, and a fanciful harlequin doll.

      "Jeez, John. Can your prank wars get any more explicit?" Roxy grumbled, shoving a handful of sugar into the tea that she was holding.

      "No, not really," Jane assured her. "This is about as bad as it gets."

      John quickly became animated again, completing his story with a bang. Dirk eventually went to go check on Dave and make sure he was okay, aside from having a massive hangover looming over his head. As a precaution, he placed water and painkillers at his bedside, hoping that it would tie him over for a bit.

      Rose excused herself quietly to go contemplate on the couch, as she usually did. The Terrors knew a lot, perhaps more than a First Guardian. They had, after all, seen many who had tapped into their power go astray. But whatever had they meant by Dave not getting another chance? What chances has he gotten from them in past or alternate lives?

      She knew that if she kept going in this train of thought she wouldn't be able to complete the circle of possibilities, so she engrossed herself in her crystal ball. It didnt show the future, rather, but it showed the present through it's twin. Rose wasn't exactly sure what the other ball showed, but currently the other side showed a very polished room, many trophies and ribbons, all first place and blue. She could tell that the ball was on a pedestal, surrounded by dark blue velvet and rested on a stand made of copper. Normally an array of three women normally looked into it, but sometimes a young boy, around the youngest girls age, looked into it with anxiety that seemed to grow every time. A lot of times, it was brought on various trips around the world. Why, she couldn't imagine, but normally said object stayed in a leather bag when this happened. It was too bad she couldn't hear things through the orb, that would have been useful.

      Dirk came down the stairs and sat on her couch gently, interuppting the train of thought that would surely lead to a path she didn't want to go down.

      "How're you holding up? Dave's not the only one who's going to be harmed by your power loss," he murmered, trying to be nonchalant about it. Of course he was worried, he was Dirk.

      "I'm fine, though I'll probably get a slight headache tomorrow I've had help from the Horrorterrors and it's much less than it could be," Rose said, placing the ornate ball on to it's pedestal. "I can manage, if thats what youre asking. Dont worry, Dirk. Ive suffered worse.

      Dirk stiffened at her words. "I- alright. I'll stop asking. But if you need help, I'm here. Don't go straight to your Terrors, we can be here physically with you."

      Rose looked at him fondly. The eldest of the four was always there to help, no matter how dangerous their jobs in their buisness may be. But the Terrors were giving her foreboding messages, so she wasn't sure how safe Dirk could keelp them after their prophecies came to pass. At least he would try.

      But Rose set aside those thoughts for now in order to protect the protector.

_"Of course, Dirk."_

Word Count: 1654  
More exposition :D


	4. Family is more Short-Lived than you Realize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Divorce

      Feferi Peixes had seen a lot of stuff. Most of it tame and some of it weirder. But this chain of events had been happening for months, and it was teribubble.

      She heard muffled shouts from the kitchen, one voice deep and smooth, and the other higher and authoritative.

      She shuddered and slid into her sister's room. She shuffled under the blankets and buried her face in the pillow.

      "Guppy, if you're gonna be in my room cause of 'em then at least shut the door. I don't wanna hear 'em either," Meenah grumbled, fins flaring in sisterly agitation. She stood up to do said act. "Mom 'nd Dad just can't be bothered to take it outside, huh?" Her voice was apologetic, as if trying to apologize for something that affected her, too. But all the same, Feferi nodded and her eldest sibling sighed.

      At first their parents had stayed together for the kids they reared, but as they grew older they hated each other more and more, and stopped even  _trying_  to hide it from them. Feferi had been their last child together. They loved their kids, yes, but they hated each other more.

      "I'm gonna be glad when they split up, that'll be a relief for all of us," came a new voice. Fef poked her head out from Meenah's covers at the sound of the familiar, controlled lisp.

      "Hey, Shoal-ux," She murmured.

      "What is my room becoming? A party place?" Meenah grumbled, even though they knew she loved her siblings. "Don't screw up my ship, ocray?"

      "Don't be so stuck-up, we only came here cause of the thing in the kitchen," Mituna hissed. "You would think that they would try to keep it down."

      "'Tuna I know you're mad but please don't take it out on Meenah," Feferi said quietly. Then, as a precaution, "You too, Sol."

      Sollux cringed, even though he didn't do anything wrong. "Sorry FF."

      Mituna just rolled his bicolored eyes and flopped at Feferi's feet.

      Feferi sighed and Sollux sat on the bed by her head and toyed with her hair.

      "MN, do you know what started the fight?" he asked Meenah, who shook her head.

      "Knowing them it was shoal-ly dumb, they go off at the slightest thing."

      Sollux's grip on Feferi's hair tightened. Neither of them wanted these arguments to happen, though none of them except for Meenah were very fond of their mom, and even for her it wasn't all that much.

      The siblings sat in an uneasy silence, listening to the argument below. Their parents' voices escalated, escalated, and then a slamming of a door. They looked at each other, all wondering what happened. Footsteps came up the stairs and they all froze. No one came over to where they were, but they stayed tense.

      "They're getting worse," Sollux said after a few minutes. He went over to the door and looked out. "No one in the halls. We gotta avoid mom when she gets home, though. She's going to have a fit."

      "Yeah. But there's nothing we can do about it," Mituna sighed.

      The sound of the shower turning on filled the room with a monotone hum. Their father was going to spend all day in the shower, or at least until the hot water ran out. Who knows when their mother would come back she would probably spend a few days in her company, come back, and argue again. Feferi hummed sadly and sat up.

      "I'm going to go back into my room, 'kay?" she mumbled to Sollux. "You can come if you want."

      She slid out of the bed and into the green-carpeted hall, her youngest brother following. Her room was at the end of the hall, with pale pink walls and a fuschia covered bed. She had a white desk, a fish tank on one corner of her desk. It was much like Meenah's, but it was bigger and had more fish. In the middle of the desk, her laptop lay. Oh, she had a Trollian notification from three minutes ago. She hadn't kept her friend waiting  _too_  long.

**\-- gallowsCalibrator [GC] began trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC] at 14:43 --**

**GC:**  WH4T'S W1TH YOUR MOM? 4S1D3 FROM USU4L 1 M34N  
**CC:**  hmm? water you mean? is somefin wrong?  
**GC:**  SH3S 4T MY HOUS3 T4LK1NG TO MY MOM  
**CC:**  what aboat?  
**GC:**  1TS MOSTLY V3NT1NG SO F4R, SH3S B31NG PR3TTY LOUD, MY MOMS G3TT1NG PR3TTY F3D UP  
**GC:**  BUT SH3 W3NT TO *MY MOM* 4ND NOT H3R DUMB COMP4NY TH1S T1M3  
**CC:**  water you suggesting? 38?  
**GC:**  TH4T YOUR MOM 1S F1N4LLY DON3  
**GC:**  SH3 M1GHT B3 F1L1NG FOR D1VORC3 V3RY SOON  
**CC:**  finnally  
**CC:**  weve all been wading  
**GC:**  YOU DONT UND3RST4ND  
**GC:**  SH3 W4NTS FULL CUSTODY OF YOU 4ND YOUR S1ST3R  
**CC:** WHAT?  
**GC:**  SH3 W4NTS YOU TWO TO B3 H31R3SS3S R41S3D 1N TH3 COMP4NY OF OTH3R F1SH D3MONS 4ND NOT 4 PS11ON1C L1K3 YOUR F4TH3R 4ND BROTH3RS  
**CC** **:**  SH--E CANT DO THAT!  
**GC** **:**  SH3S P4Y1NG MY MOM 4 LOT OF MON3Y TO M4K3 SUR3 SH3 DO3S  
**GC:** SH3S PROB4BLY GO1NG TO SHOV3 YOU 1NTO HOM3SCHOOL1NG TOO

\--  **cuttlefishCuller [CC] is now an IDLE TROLL!**  --

 **GC:**  F3F3R1?

**\-- cuttlefishCuller [CC] is now an ACTIVE TROLL --**

**CC:**  2orry tz ff ii2 unavaiilable riight now  
**CC:**  iim goiing two siign off for her  
**GC:** W41T SOLLUX  
**GC:**  1S SH3 OK4Y?  
**CC:**  . . .  
**CC:**  2hell be fiine

- **\- cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased pestering gallowsCalibrator [GC] at 15:25 --**

      Feferi pressed her face into Sollux's side. "She's going to take us, she's going to take me away from you, she-"

      "Hey, FF, look at me," Sollux said, sounding a lot calmer than he was. He lifted his little sister's tear-streaked face up and wiped the tears from her face. "Listen to me. Hey. We'll still be able to talk through Trollian, we can still see each other, we can still be okay. It's only Dad she's getting a restraining order on, and it's impossible for her to get one on me for you without a legal mess. She cares about you as well, she'll have to let us see each other. I promise, Feferi. It's going to be okay."

    The next few weeks were a blur. Their mom had applied for divorce that night, giving her full custody of the girls. They shared a tearful goodbye, even Meenah looked slightly upset.

      Coraline mostly looked bored, scrolling through her phone impatiently waiting for her daughters to finish up so they could go. She never wanted anything but the purest, she told their father, and the two young fish demons who were oh-so like her were as close as she could get.

      She eventually got bored enough that she dragged the girls into the van that would take them and their things to their mother's house. The whole hour-long ride there they were silent. Feferi had a swimsuit under her clothes, knowing her mom had a pool and ready to drown out her thoughts with swimming.

      Meenah was also going to go swimming, but for other reasons. See, their mother had two pools in their house- no. Mansion. One was for swimming, the other was just a large fish tank she kept to keep herself fed and now it would feed her daughters.

       They got to the house and marvled at the size of it. Clearly their mom was holding out on the dad with some Betty Crocker cash, because this thing was massive. Wordlessly, Coraline gave both of her daughters a map and unlocked the door.

      Feferi studied the map before absconding into the pool area, forgetting her towel in her suitcase. Coraline watched her go with slight worry, but shrugged it off and turned to Meenah.

      "Tell your sister that lessons start tomorrow. Not school, lessons," she said with a steely look. "There is a difference."

    Meenah swallowed and nodded. Couldn't she have waited just  _one more da_ y? Tomorrow was especially important to her, didn't her mom remember? Meenah turned without a word and walked off to the tank.

    When she got out, Feferi's towel was sitting on a chair. On top of it was a note, Meenah's handwriting. It was sloppy, like it was written in a hurry, and there were dry blotches on there.

_"mom says lessons are tomorrow. not homeschooling, lessons. i dont reely know what that means, but as soon as i wake up im gonna abandon ship. i havent unpacked so my stuffs ready to go. if you wanna find me ill be at araneas place. you know my trollhandle if you need to talk._  
_sea you at dinner guppy"_

      Feferi wrapped the towel around herself. She lost her brothers, her dad, and now her sister?

      She trudged up the stairs to her room, making sure to follow the map as closely as possible. She didn't care that her hair dripped, she didn't care that her face was dripping more than it should have been after she dried it, she didn't care that her feet were bare and chilled, that the map was getting ruined with water. She only cared about going to her room and saying goodbye to this mess of her life.

      Eventually she came to the room she was assigned. The dark reddish-brown door was too bare, she'd have to take care of that soon. She walked in and through her watery eyes she saw a room with a humongous fish tank for a wall emanating soft raspberry light. Pale pink paint was on the other walls to match the shade of her old room and there was a fuschia shaggy carpet, warm beneath her feet. She walked to the closet at the edge of the room, parallel to a large desk on the fish wall. Perhaps her mom knew that she worked best surrounded by her element.

      All of her clothes were there, and then some. Some she recognized as Meenah's, her sister was giving her unnecessary clothing, figures. The others were fancy dresses, obviously not her style, given by her mom. Or someone close to. She had no idea what those were for, maybe painstaking events for the company she would be forced to go to.

      Feferi took one of her sister's sweaters and put it on, pulling her damp hair through and cringing at the wetness.

      She picked up the note Meenah left her and felt the tears that had just dried up return with more force. She was going to be alone. Alone with her mother.

      Feferi collapsed onto her bed as the situation finally hit her. Without thinking, she closed her eyes and tried to dream her life away.

      "Hey, Guppy," a voice hissed at her, shaking her awake. "Feferi."

      Feferi sat up instantly. "Meenah?"

      "It's midnight," Meenah whispered. She had a backpack with her. "I didn't see you at dinner, you were reely tired."

      Feferi cursed. "You're going away _now_?"

      Meenah nodded. "I'm 18 now, remember? No one can stop me if I move out."

      Feferi curled up against Meenah, who hugged her. "I'm sorry, Guppy, I'll come back for you as soon as I can."

    Feferi nodded against Meenah and pulled away. "Troll me when you're there?"

      Meenah nodded and went to the door. "See ya 'round, Feferi."

      The next few months were a blur.

      Her mom got married again, apparantly she'd been having an affair since before Meenah, the oldest sibling, was born.

      She gained a stepdad and two brothers, one of them she had seen hanging around Meenah all too often.

      Which is why when Cronus asked her if he knew her, he got whacked upside the head because Coraline thought he was flirting with Feferi. His tone didn't help either.

      Eridan was different. He was less cocky, but he was overbearing in other ways. Less flirty, more self-centered. But it wasn't in a bad way, not necessarily. It was more of self-searching rather than thinking he was better than everyone else. But be assured, the other parts of him were still based around his mindset that he was something like royalty.

      Feferi was sure that she could work with him on that.

      The three were fish demons, like herself. They were nice to her, but she couldn't help but worry about her dad in the process. How was he taking things? Did he find someone else to love? She'll ask Sollux soon enough.

      When everything had settled down for the most part, the family, however dysfunctional, had settled in and gotten used to each other. Of course, they were not the Captors, but they were happy. For the most part. 

\--  **cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA] at 18:15 -** -

 **CC:**  S) (OAL-LUX!  
**TA:**  woah calm down ff what2 got your fiins clogged up  
**CC:**  i forgot to ask you how dad was doing!! 38(  
**TA:**  oh he2 doiing great  
**TA:**  found hiimself two lovers  
**CC:**  two? are you s) (ore youre not making t) (is up?  
**TA:**  yep, dad ha2 two lovers  
**TA:**  a biit 2urpriisiing, but theiir kiids are niice  
**CC:**  w) (at?  
**TA:**  oh, he2 datiing a marriied couple who have four kiid2  
**TA:**  diidnt thiink he would get around 2o much but whatever makes hiim happy riight?  
**CC:**  you psionics can keep your two fefis) ( to yourself, yuck 38/  
**TA:** hehe

     "Feferi?" a woman called. The girl in question looked up at her doorway, seeing none other than her mother. "Who are you talking to?"

      "Shoal-ux!" Feferi responded honestly, knowing her mother would come and check her phone anyway. As she predicted, the tall fish empress walked over to her, heels muffled by the thick carpet.

      "What aboat?" she asked, holding her hand out for the phone.

      "Phill," Feferi answered. It was weird to call her dad that, but she had to in order to keep her mother at bay, no pun intended. Coraline scowled, looking at Sollux's trollhandle. She handed the phone back to Feferi and walked back to wherever she came from.

 **TA:**  2o ii was workiing on a thiing  
**TA:** iil put a liink  
**TA:**  https://bit.ly/IqT6zt  
**TA:** anyway ii want two get your opiiniion  
**TA:**  ff?

\--  **cuttlefishCuller [CC] is now an IDLE TROLL!**  --

 **TA:**  of cour2e

**\-- cuttlefishCuller [CC] is now an ACTIVE TROLL --**

**CC:** sorry s) (oal-ux mom took my p) (one  
**CC:** ill take a look at t) (e link now  
**TA:** okay

\--  **cuttlefishCuller [CC] is now an IDLE TROLL!**  --

**\-- cuttlefishCuller [CC] is now an ACTIVE TROLL --**

**CC:**  not finny  
**CC:**  not remotely finny   
**TA:**  hehe  
**CC:**  38(  
**TA:**  iim not 2orry  
**TA:**  down to actual buiisne22  
**TA:**  when do you thiink you can 2neak out agaiin?  
**CC:**  next friday, mom and davis   ) (ave a buisness trip so we're         ) (ome alone for a week  
**TA:**  perfect  
**TA:**  everyone2 mii22iing you guy2  
**CC:**  i s) (oald ) (ope so! we havent visited in THR--E--E W) (OL---E MONTHS!  
**TA:**  ed2 comiing?  
**CC:** of course! ) (es family too!  
TA: ii know, ff  
**TA:**  ju2t  
**TA:** ew  
**CC:**  38/  
**CC:**  t) (ats not very nice  
**TA:**  2orry ff but iit2 true  
**CC:**  38/  
**CC:**  a) (, crofis) ( is calling me  
**CC:**  sea you later s) (oal-ux!  
**TA:**  see you ff

 **\- cuttlefishCuller [CC] ceased pestering twinArmageddons [TA] at 18:55 -** -

 

      Feferi slid down the handrail to her stepbrother's room. "Crofish? You wanted to sea me?"   
      Cronus, who was standing at his doorway, nodded. "I'm gonna need your help for something, Eridan's already in there."

      "Water you working on?" Feferi asked, following her older brother into his violet room. "Hey, Erifish. Do you know what he needs us for?"

      He shook his head. "No idea, but if it has anything to do with those cookies, I'm in."

      "Well, you're in luck!" Cronus started eagerly, bringing out a notepad. "Try each one of these three cookies, and tell me which one tastes the best! Simple enough?"

      Feferi nodded, and in response grabbed two of each cookie, handing a set of blue, pink, and yellow to Eridan, who had gotten up from his place on Cronus's bed.

      Feferi took a bite of each, as did Eridan. She promptly said that the pink one was the best while Eridan furrowed his eyebrows.

      "But they taste the same, though."

      "Come on, Erifish! No they don't!"

      "Fine then. The blue one is the best."

      Cronus hummed and wrote the information down. "Actually, Eridan was right; the only thing that was different about them was their frosting colours."

    Eridan took some time to flaunt this fact in Feferi's face and then sat down with his siblings to okay board games and eat cookies.

       Yep. Dysfunctional as they were, they still had some good times.

_Word count: 2784_  
_This chapter was more fast-paced I would like it to be, but there would be a lot of boring legal stuff lol_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dunno how to change text colors so youre stuck with this lol


	5. Not Many at All

      Take a seat. No, not in that chair. That's mine. Comfortable? You should be. Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on.

      Would you like some coffee? Tea perhaps? A different drink I did not mention? No, no, I insist.

      Handmaid, come here. Bring the drink tray.

      Thank you.

      Now, you may be wondering who I am. Well, that will be a question to be answered another time. However, I will be made known to you somewhat shortly.

      What do you mean you're unsatisfied? I made myself perfectly clear.

      Ah. You're one of  _those_  people. You're just going to have to be patient, I am apart of this strange story, after all. I cannot reveal things to a child like you, even if it is rare that I've makes it this far. Not Many do. You're the first that has visited for a while.

      But no matter.

      On with our little passion play now, shall we?

 _Word count:_ _162_  
 _This isn't a self insert all will be revealed soon i promiseeeeeee_ e


End file.
